The city of Providence was founded in 1636 and was settled as one of the first Thirteen Colonies of the United States, by religious exile, Roger Williams. Providence is geographically very compact, characteristic of eastern seaboard cities which developed prior to the use of the automobile.
Downtown Providence has numerous 19th century mercantile buildings in the Federal and Victorian architectural styles and the East Side includes the largest contiguous area of buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the U.S., featuring many pre-revolutionary houses.
Providence is home to the First Baptist Church in America, founded by Roger Williams himself, the 4th largest unsupported marble dome in the world and the Westminster Arcade, which is the oldest enclosed shopping center in the U.S.
After being one of the first cities to industrialize, Providence soon became noted for its jewelry and silverware industry. Today Providence city proper alone is home to eight hospitals and seven institutions of higher learning. The city was once nicknamed the "Beehive of Industry", while today "The Renaissance City" is more common. The city's industries attracted many immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Portugal, Cape Verde and French Canada.
The city began to see a decline by the mid-1920's as industries, notably textiles, shut down. The Great Depression hit the city hard and Providence's downtown was flooded by the New England Hurricane of 1938 soon after. The city saw further decline as a result of nationwide trends, with the construction of highways and increased suburbanization.
From the 1950's to the 1980's, Providence was a notorious bastion of crime. The mafia boss Raymond L. Patriarca ruled a vast criminal enterprise.
The city's eponymous "Renaissance" began in the 1970's. From 1975 until 1982, $606 million of local and national Community Development funds were invested throughout the city and the falling population began to stabilize.
In the 1990's, Mayor Vincent Cianci, Jr. showcased the city's strength in arts and pushed for further revitalization, ultimately resulting in the opening of the city's natural rivers (which had been paved over), relocation of a large section of railroad underground, creation of Waterplace Park and river walks along the river's banks, as well as construction of the Bank of America Skating Rink (larger than Rockefeller Center in NYC) and the new 1.4 million square foot Providence Place Mall.
Today, Providence is a beautiful, thriving, forward thinking city with a whole lot to offer and plenty of history! Plan your visit today!
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